From Publishers Weekly
Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley of New Scotland Yard investigates murder at Cambridge University as he continues his suit for the love of Lady Helen in George's ( A Suitable Vengeance ) latest well-crafted mystery. The high-born Lynley and his sergeant, Barbara Havers, whose personal dilemmas revolve around choosing adequate care for her increasingly senile mother, are sent to advise the Cambridge constabulary after student Elena Weaver, a long-distance runner and daughter of highly respected university history professor Anthony Weaver, is found battered to death near a running path. As the investigation reveals that Elena, who was deaf, was not at all the innocent naif her doting father imagined, Lynley comes to understand Lady Helen's deep-rooted questions about their relationship and their individual independence. Another murder occurs and assorted extracurricular passions among prominent academics are bared; George also explores such issues as whether deafness is a cultural stigma or a genuine handicap, the nature of family identity and betrayal, and the imperatives of the creative temperament. While elements of the plot are somewhat stretched, George's story never fails to engage. 50,000 first printing; $50,000 ad/promo . Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
For the Sake of Elena, a mystery in the style of P.D. James, is set at Cambridge University, where Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers investigate the seemingly senseless and brutal murder of student Elena Weaver. Derek Jacobi's accent, inflections and aristocratic timbre all work to create the English setting for the listener. He artfully changes the intonation and pitch of his voice to portray the various characters in this riveting mystery. Any confusion between characters is due to the author's convention of giving them several names. Musical accompaniment used in appropriate sections effectively heightens this mystery's suspense. A.A.B. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Kirkus Reviews
The fifth outing for Scotland Yard's Inspector Lynley (rich, sleek aristocrat) and Sergeant Havers (rough-edged, bitter plain- Jane)--this time called up to Cambridge to investigate the brutal murder of a sexy, unstable, deaf student. Who ambushed Elena Weaver during one of her usual early- morning runs and pummeled her to death? Suspects abound--especially once an autopsy reveals that Elena was pregnant. She had accused one teacher of sexual harassment, had been having an affair with another (married) one. She'd also been involved with a deaf-rights activist. Meanwhile, she was having stormy times with her overprotective father, a Cambridge don hoping for a major new appointment, and with her edgy stepmother. And is it just coincidence that the woman who finds Elena's body, an important local artist, was the sometime mistress of Elena's father? As usual, George lays on the psychosexual Sturm und Drang with a sure, if slightly heavy, hand; the dialogue occasionally thickens into awkward, stagy speeches. Also as usual, the sleuths contend with personal anguish: Havers must deal with a senile mum; Lynley continues his tediously drawn-out courtship of Lady Helen--an overwrought imitation of Lord Peter and Miss Vane. But, though uneven and puffy, this is George's best work since her debut (A Great Deliverance)--a generally absorbing job in the P.D. James manner, without the excesses and missteps of the other Lynley/Havers outings. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Review
"George is a master...an outstanding practitioner of the modern English mystery."


"George goes to the head of her genre, with class."


"Ms. George proves that the classiest crime writers are true novelists."


"George's best work since her debut."


"If you're already a fan, just know that Elizabeth George is getting better and better.  Carve out some time one weekend soon, stake out a cozy chair and wallow in her best yet."


"Powerful and deeply affecting, For the Sake of Elena is another satisfying addition to this superb series."
Baltimore

"For the Sake of Elena is a rich, rewarding book and a top-notch mystery.  It may be Elizabeth George's best yet....find it and buy it.  You will want to read it again."



Review
"George is a master...an outstanding practitioner of the modern English mystery."


"George goes to the head of her genre, with class."


"Ms. George proves that the classiest crime writers are true novelists."


"George's best work since her debut."


"If you're already a fan, just know that Elizabeth George is getting better and better.  Carve out some time one weekend soon, stake out a cozy chair and wallow in her best yet."


"Powerful and deeply affecting, For the Sake of Elena is another satisfying addition to this superb series."
Baltimore

"For the Sake of Elena is a rich, rewarding book and a top-notch mystery.  It may be Elizabeth George's best yet....find it and buy it.  You will want to read it again."



Book Description
Elena Weaver was a surprise to anyone meeting her for the first time. In her clingy dresses and dangling earrings she exuded a sexuality at odds with the innocence projected by the unicorn posters on her walls. While her embittered mother fretted about her welfare from her home in London, in Cambridge--where Elena was a student at St. Stephen's College--her father and his second wife each had their own very different image of the girl. As for Elena, she lived a life of casual and intense physical and emotional relationships, with scores to settle and goals to achieve--until someone, lying in wait along the route she ran every morning, bludgeoned her to death.Unwilling to turn the killing over to the local police, the university calls in New Scotland Yard. Thus, Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, enter the rarefied world of Cambridge University, where academic gowns often hide murderous intentions.For both officers, the true identity of Elena Weaver proves elusive. Each relationship the girl left behind casts new light both on Elena and on those people who appeared to know her best--from an unsavory Swedish-born Shakespearean professor to the brooding head of the Deaf Students Union.What's more, Elena's father, a Cambridge professor under consideration for a prestigious post, is a man with his own dark secrets. While his past sins make him neurotically dedicated to Elena and blind to her blacker side, present demons drive him toward betrayal.


From the Publisher
"George is a master...an outstanding practitioner of the modern English mystery."
"George goes to the head of her genre, with class."
"Ms. George proves that the classiest crime writers are true novelists."
"George's best work since her debut."
"If you're already a fan, just know that Elizabeth George is getting better and better. Carve out some time one weekend soon, stake out a cozy chair and wallow in her best yet."
"Powerful and deeply affecting, For the Sake of Elena is another satisfying addition to this superb series."
Baltimore"For the Sake of Elena is a rich, rewarding book and a top-notch mystery. It may be Elizabeth George's best yet....find it and buy it. You will want to read it again."



From the Inside Flap
Elena Weaver was a surprise to anyone meeting her for the first time.  In her clingy dresses and dangling earrings she exuded a sexuality at odds with the innocence projected by the unicorn posters on her walls.  While her  embittered mother fretted about her welfare from her home in London, in  Cambridge--where Elena was a student at St. Stephen's College--her father and his second wife each had their own very different image of the girl.  As for Elena, she lived a life of casual and intense physical and emotional  relationships, with scores to settle and goals to achieve--until someone, lying in wait along the route she ran every morning, bludgeoned her to death.

Unwilling to turn the killing over to the local police, the university calls in New Scotland Yard.  Thus, Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his  partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, enter the rarefied world of  Cambridge University, where academic gowns often hide murderous intentions.

For both officers, the true identity of Elena Weaver proves elusive. Each relationship the girl left behind casts new light both on Elena and on those people who appeared to know her best--from an unsavory Swedish-born  Shakespearean professor to the brooding head of the Deaf Students Union.

What's more, Elena's father, a Cambridge professor under consideration for a prestigious post, is a man with his own dark secrets.  While his past sins make him neurotically dedicated to Elena and blind to her blacker side,  present demons drive him toward betrayal.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Elena Weaver was a surprise to anyone meeting her for the first time. In her clingy dresses and dangling earrings she exuded a sexuality at odds with the innocence projected by the unicorn posters on her walls. While her embittered mother fretted about her welfare from her home in London, in Cambridge—where Elena was a student at St. Stephen's College—her father and his second wife each had their own very different image of the girl. As for Elena, she lived a life of casual and intense physical and emotional relationships, with scores to settle and goals to achieve—until someone, lying in wait along the route she ran every morning, bludgeoned her to death.

Unwilling to turn the killing over to the local police, the university calls in New Scotland Yard. Thus, Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, enter the rarefied world of Cambridge University, where academic gowns often hide murderous intentions.

For both officers, the true identity of Elena Weaver proves elusive. Each relationship the girl left behind casts new light both on Elena and on those people who appeared to know her best—from an unsavory Swedish-born Shakespearean professor to the brooding head of the Deaf Students Union.

What's more, Elena's father, a Cambridge professor under consideration for a prestigious post, is a man with his own dark secrets. While his past sins make him neurotically dedicated to Elena and blind to her blacker side, present demons drive him toward betrayal.

FROM THE CRITICS

Kirkus Reviews

The fifth outing for Scotland Yard's Inspector Lynley (rich, sleek aristocrat) and Sergeant Havers (rough-edged, bitter plain- Jane)—this time called up to Cambridge to investigate the brutal murder of a sexy, unstable, deaf student. Who ambushed Elena Weaver during one of her usual early- morning runs and pummeled her to death? Suspects abound—especially once an autopsy reveals that Elena was pregnant. She had accused one teacher of sexual harassment, had been having an affair with another (married) one. She'd also been involved with a deaf-rights activist. Meanwhile, she was having stormy times with her overprotective father, a Cambridge don hoping for a major new appointment, and with her edgy stepmother. And is it just coincidence that the woman who finds Elena's body, an important local artist, was the sometime mistress of Elena's father? As usual, George lays on the psychosexual Sturm und Drang with a sure, if slightly heavy, hand; the dialogue occasionally thickens into awkward, stagy speeches. Also as usual, the sleuths contend with personal anguish: Havers must deal with a senile mum; Lynley continues his tediously drawn-out courtship of Lady Helen—an overwrought imitation of Lord Peter and Miss Vane. But, though uneven and puffy, this is George's best work since her debut (A Great Deliverance)—a generally absorbing job in the P.D. James manner, without the excesses and missteps of the other Lynley/Havers outings.